Smartphones, panel TVs lift SA’s consumer tech market in second quarter

JOHANNESBURG – Revenue in South Africa’s technical consumer goods market climbed eight percent year-on-year in the second quarter of 2018, boosted by a 16 percent rise in the telecommunications sector and a 17.4 percent increase in small domestic appliances, data from market research firm GfK showed.

The smartphone segment, one of the biggest contributors to the local technical consumer goods market, was given a boost by growth in sales of larger display devices together with the continued adoption of entry-level devices.

“The South African consumer technology market is holding up reasonably well under difficult economic conditions,” GfK South Africa commercial head for market insights Kali Moahloli said.

“In the telecommunications and IT sector, consumers are looking for value, and vendors are responding with affordable products. Tier-two manufacturers are doing well with value-for-money smartphones with large displays, while we saw strong sales for entry-level computers.”

Smartphones’ value overall increased by 16 percent, but sales in the media tablet category fell 42 percent.

Revenue in the consumer electronics sector grew 7.8 percent, driven by strong demand for ultrahigh definition and large screen panel televisions. However, audio home systems, receivers and headphones all dropped sharply.

The data showed that kettles and toasters – the first and fourth largest categories in small domestic appliance units and value – registered double-digit growth in unit sales due to an increase in the average selling price and robust consumer demand.

– African News Agency (ANA)